Bun-Bun Baxter

Osman wannabe?

Revisado: 08-29-24

I don't know if the author purposely tried to replicate the appeal of the Thursday Murder Club series, but that's what the first book in this new series appears to be. The set-up sounded promising, but there is no heart in the writing. It's less a book than a book report. I'm out.

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A splendid finale to an addictive series!

Revisado: 08-26-24

Interesting plot twists, a panorama of clever and moving prose. The narration is better than in the previous installment but still not as good as Leslie Manville's in the first two.

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What a difference a Dame makes

Revisado: 07-23-24

I was surprised at how dissatisfying Fiona Shaw's narration was compared to Leslie Manville's. Prior to listening, I would not have expected one to be superior to the other but Fiona Shaw's lacks all vivacity. Additionally, when she switches from words spoken by a character with a non-British accent into general prose, she tends to continue in the foreign accent.

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Fascinating subject, disappointing narration

Revisado: 09-16-23

I bought this book after hearing the author interviewed on radio. She related her material with genuine enthusiasm and nuance, in a voice combining conversational tone with authority. But the narrator was as detached as an A.I. generated voice, and sounded far too young for the subject.

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Shaggy dog story

Revisado: 09-15-21

This VERY long tale had a surfeit of subplots taking up space without advancing the plot - one or two ancillary detective cases would have been fine, but this was overdone. I haven't read the first four novels in the series but DID watch and enjoy the TV versions. After doing so, it was jarring to have an audio version of Strike who sounded exactly like, and made me picture, Hagrid. The physical description of the hirsute detective also recalled Hagrid, or a stereotypical 18th century Cornish pirate. Mr. Glenister's performance of characters became more nuanced as the recording proceeded. I realize Cormoran Strike is supposed to have a regional accent but this seemed extreme. I DID read every word of the Harry Potter books, which I remember as well-written. So I was surprised that this book isn't. It's filled with redundancies like "the imprint of the stiletto imprinted on his shoe" and "sitting in a chair in the sitting room". If this book's editor was awake, it doesn't show. Also, if one were to play the drinking game every time urination was mentioned, finishing the book would be followed by a stint in rehab.

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Paid by the said?

Revisado: 04-04-21

At first, it was disappointing not to hear the voices of Tony Shalhoub' and the other actors on the TV show, but Laura Hicks is a capable narrator. The plot is interesting, and the mood follows in the footsteps of the show. But, there's a HUGE issue: do editors no longer exist? The word "said" must occur HUNDREDS of times. "I said", " she said", "he said".... absolutely excruciating! The author's vocabulary is devoid of "replied", "responded", " answered", or any other synonym that would have prevented this "word-ter torture". Had this not been a free listen included in my membership, I'd return it. For Ms. Hicks''s sake, I hope she was paid by the said. She'll need the money for psychiatric fees for treating post traumatic said disorder!

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Ryvita Rashomon

Revisado: 01-26-20

The division of this crime novel into three distinct sections, presenting the viewpoints of the father, daughter, and mother is briefly interesting. It has the advantage of allowing the purchaser to savor Mr. Armitage's vocal majesty without interruption, but unavoidably, the format means enduring a surfeit of repetition of plot elements during the females' sections. By the time the tale was approaching the finish, I didn't give a meatball whodunnit, or why. And anyone partial to drinking games would be comatose by the close, if the rule were to take a swig every time "sweat/sweaty/sweating" is heard. For Odin's sake, the story is set in SWEDEN, not Singapore!

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A haunting tale

Revisado: 12-21-19

This detective novel has unexpected twists that hold the listener's interest almost as much as does Mr. Armitage's hypnotic narration.

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Italian idyll

Revisado: 09-08-19

Engaging, quirky tale that is sometimes repetitive, while leaving some minor unanswered questions, e.g. Who was lurking in the ruined church? The narrator has a very pleasing, slightly ironic tone reminiscent of John Nettles in Midsomer Murders.

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Hyper

Revisado: 02-05-19

The introductions were interesting, but the actual story narration was over the top, the aural equivalent of.flailing.limbs. This surprised me, since Mr Lithgow is such a fine actor, and in interviews, a marvelous raconteur..

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